Parliamentary Questions | Renewal of the approval of glyphosate: Questions and Answers

1.   Will the Commission renew the approval of glyphosate?

As required by EU legislation on pesticides, and in line with the Comitology rules, in the absence of a qualified majority in the Appeal Committee, the Commission is legally obliged to adopt a decision before the expiry of the current approval (15 December 2023). The Commission, based on the assessment made by EFSA of the impact of glyphosate on the health of humans, animals and the environment, and which did not identify critical areas of concern that would prevent a renewal of approval, will therefore adopt the proposed Regulation to renew the approval of glyphosate, subject to certain conditions and restrictions (see Q5).

On 16 November 2023, during a vote at the Appeal Committee, Member States did not reach a qualified majority on the Commission's proposal to renew the approval of glyphosate for 10 years. This followed a previous vote at the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCOPAFF) on 13 October 2023, in which Member States also did not reach the required majority to renew (or reject) the proposal.